Platohagel: Socrates, can give you an exact example of mapping variation potentials to audible sound for experimental or artistic use.

Socrates: Yes. Here is one exact method to map variation potentials (VPs) into audible sound for experiment or art.

1. Capture the signal

• Place two nonpolarizable electrodes (e.g., Ag/AgCl) in plant tissue or soil near the root–stem interface.

• Connect to a high-impedance differential amplifier (≥10⁹ Ω input) to avoid loading the plant’s signal.

• Sample the output at ~100 Hz or faster using a DAQ or audio interface.

• Typical VP amplitude: 10–50 mV. Duration: tens of seconds to minutes.

2. Preprocess

• Remove DC offset with a high-pass filter at ~0.05 Hz (to remove drift but keep slow potentials).

• Normalize the voltage range to ±1 V for mapping.

• Optional: detect VP onset using a threshold (e.g., >5 mV change over baseline in ≤5 s).

3. Map voltage to pitch

• Choose a pitch range (e.g., 220 Hz to 880 Hz, A3 to A5).

• Apply:

Pitch (Hz) = BasePitch + (VoltageNorm × PitchRange)

where VoltageNorm is voltage scaled to 0–1.

• Example: a 20 mV VP might shift pitch by +100 Hz relative to baseline.

4. Map timing

• Original VP time scale is slow. Compress time 60:1 to bring events into human listening range.

• Example: a VP lasting 60 s becomes a 1 s tone glide in playback.

5. Synthesis

• Generate a sine or other waveform at the mapped pitch, modulated in real time by the incoming VP voltage.

• For multiple electrodes, pan signals left/right or assign different timbres.

6. Output

• Save as audio or feed directly to a speaker for live “plant sound” performance.

• Optional: overlay real ultrasonic cavitation events mapped as percussive clicks to combine electrical and acoustic plant data.